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Monthly Highlights - May 2017

May 29, 2017

I may or may not have slacked (...or taken an unexpected almost-hiatus?) on doing posts in May. My apologizes - but I was sick, so I do have an excuse! But here I am to tell you all about the random things that happened to me in May ...

- Our baby robins (a pretty little mama robin decided to build her nest right outside our window - er, she reused an old one that was already there xD) are getting huge and adorable. I have to admit, when they're
newborn and slimy ... well, they aren't all that cute - but now that
they have fuzzy little feathers and teeny black eyes, they're adorable.

a bad picture of them, because they INSISTED on sleeping all day xD

- We handed out May Day baskets and went to multiple graduation parties, which was tons of fun - May was definitely a very busy and very epic month ;). And I'm almost done with school - it'll be super awesome to start summer break.

I would say "where do I even start?" ... but I started last month's Writing-ly Things section like that, so let's not be repetitive xD.

- I wrote roughly 22,890 words this month - and I say roughly because I wrote words for so many different projects that I don't think they're all present and accounted for!

- I started on a brand new writing project, but I can't tell you what it is yet ;). But I CAN tell you that you'll know more about it on the 1st of June. I'm super super excited about it though, so definitely be watching out for that post.

- Killing Snow got a lot more words added to it during the month of May. I didn't get near as many as I wanted to - I meant to get it all done, and I only got three fourths of it done - but I'd say that it was very, very good progress. I'm planning to getting the rest of it done in June, but considering the new project I mentioned above, I might not finish the whole of it. But, to stick with the schedule, I need to get a good deal of it done, so I'm certainly going to try.

Well, I'd share snippets, but I don't have the time to go looking through all the junk I wrote to find good bits to share. Guess I'll owe you extra snippets in June, huh? ;)

Worst book:Swipe by Evan Angler (and may I mention that it wasn't a bad book? It just wasn't up to par compared to the rest of the almost-all-four-stars-or-above-books that I read during the rest of the month)Best book: Probably North! Or Be Eaten (don't judge it by the title, because I did) by Andrew Peterson, though When Ravens Fall would have come close, if it wasn't a novella - though, if I could include A Time To Rise by Nadine Brandes (and I technically can't, because I read it last month, but wasn't able to include it in April's Monthly Highlights, since I finished it after it was published), IT WOULD TAKE THE CAKE.

Wow, so I rambled on much longer than I thought I would. Let's get on with this, shall we? ;)

- North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson. I read the first book in this series (The Wingfeather Saga) in May as well, but the second book - this one - definitely surpassed it, I'm so glad I decided to continue with this series. I was a little worried during the beginning, because I was having a bit of a hard time getting attached to the book, but by the end WOW. I love this thing so much. I need the next one. I'm giving this one a beautiful 4 1/2 stars.

- When Ravens Fall by Savannah Jezowski. I'd read another novella by this author, and it was AMAZING, so I was expecting good things from When Ravens Fall - and it didn't disappoint at all! It was such a beautiful novella, and the things that surprised me the most was that it didn't feel like a novella. Most novellas that I read feel like they're a bit short and moving a little too fast - but this one felt like it was a novel. It was lovely, and I adored this read. Definitely worth the 4 1/2 stars I'm giving it.

- A Time To Rise by Nadine Brandes. This is my blog so WHO CARES if I read this book during the last few bits of April. I didn't include it before, so I'm including it - it was too good for me not to! Seriously, like I said last month, if I had to pick a top-favorite series, the Out Of Time Series would be a top contender. I have never cried over a book in my life, but I think this one brought me the closest (and yet I've still never cried over a book *sighs*). Nadine is a BRILLIANT storyteller. Hopefully I'll get a full review of this book up during June, but for now I'll just say that I give it a full 5 stars.

28 comments
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OH MY GOODNESS. I think I know what your new secret project is, and why we'll hear more about it on June 1st!!! :D :D :D I'll be doing a certain post on June 1st, too. *wriggles eyebrows* BUT YOU STARTED A NEW WRITING PROJECT. I AM SO EXCITED AND CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT IT. *flails*

I can't wait for your next Liven Up Your Characters post! But I'm also soooo sad it's the last. *sniffles*

I do so hope you have an amazing June! (But can you believe it's nearly June??? WHAT HAPPENED TO MAY?)

My May was great! I know exactly what your post on the first is going to be- I'm doing the same thing (mwah ha ha to anyone oblivious in the comments)

And yay! You liked North! Or Be Eaten! It just keeps getting better, too. Monster in the Hollows isn't as good (at least IMHO), but the fourth one is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVER AND I WANT TO FLAIL AND DIE. Sorry :P I'm so glad you're liking it, though!

Oh my goodness five posts in a month is slacking?? Honestly I'm over here like HOW DO YOU BLOG SO MUCH AND SO WELL. XD

Also yeess I'm so glad you've started The Wingfeather Saga. *nods* (and I totally judged book 2 by it's title also. LIKE WHAT EVEN IS WITH THAT TITLE *cringes*) If you enjoyed the first two then you'll LOOOOVE the 3rd and the 4th- they're even more complex and exciting and overall fantastic. :D

ONLY ONE MORE LIVEN UP YOUR CHARACTERS POST?! Aww... I have really enjoyed it though! I was on Go Teen Writers and found the one about Mentors, and I've been reading your blog ever since! Still can't wait for the Final one. :D

Also, Wingfeather Saga! I'm partway through North! Or Be Eaten. Or I was last time I read it. xD

Even if I'm sad that YOU'RE sad that I'm ending - I'm super happy that you really really liked them xD. (*whispers* and don't worry, I have another series coming after this - I just can't tell you about it yet ;))

SPOILER ALERT:I liked Swipe, and, to tell you the truth, I likes it. The second book wasn't bad, either. But the last two.... Ugh. It seemed like someone else authored the last two books. The writing style was totally different. The very last book was SO RANDOM. Evan Angler switched main characters just like that! He didn't even say what happened to Logan in the end. I was disappointed. *cries*I think I need to read the Wingfeather Saga because EVERYONE seems to love it. XD

I've read the entire Swipe series (this was a re-read) a couple years ago, and I AGREE. The last two books - well, mostly the fourth book - weren't that good. I think I wouldn't have minded so much if there was a fifth book explaining the randomness in the fourth book, but THERE'S NOT. It's all very strange xD.

Oh, lol! It's really weird. Maybe there will be a fifth book sometime, but I don't think that's happening. I was like, "I want to see what happens to LOGAN!" *flails* My mum read it, and she agreed with me. lolzy!

Aw, sorry to hear that you're sick, too! OtEotDSoD wasn't my favorite, but it was good enough to make me want to see if the series got better. And it DEFINITELY did, so I'm excited to read the third book!

Aw, thank you so much, Delilah! (and ohmygoodness, you have the prettiest name! Sounds like something I would name one of my story characters) I'll have to check out your blog! It's fun to meet new internet friends ;).

Actually, it isn't my real name, but I thought it might make a cool blogging pseudonym, so thank you anyway!! I'm writing a Red Riding Hood twist (first draft reached approx. 100,000 words! Yaaaay!), and her real name is Delilah, so that's the meaning behind it :) I talk about writing on my blog, too, and your posts about word count goals that you COMPLETED has really inspired me to set my own goals! You're awesome, Sav! Hope we can be internet friends!

Agh, yay, glad that you'll finish the How to Liven Up Your Character series! I loved the last post you did. :) 22K??? I barely edited my novel, and only got plot down for my fantasy novel. *cries* I WANT TO BE PRODUCTIVE LIKE YOOOOOOOU.

How'd you like The Hunger Games? I'm planning on reading it in the summer, and I'm just wondering about everyone's thoughts on it. :)

Thanks, May! I'm excited to do that last post this month ;). And OH MY GOOD GRACIOUS, you have no idea how hard it was to hit that 22k. Setting lots of goals (*cough* and bribing yourself with candy *cough*) help a lot with motivation xD. YOU CAN DO IT, MAY!

I really liked The Hunger Games (I've re-read it so many times), but it's definitely not everybody's cup of tea. You'll have to tell me what you think of it if you do decide to read it!

(oh, you're totally fine, May! But I do look forward to reading more of your comments :D)

I heard about Nadine Brandes' trilogy this week from someone else. It's now on my wish-list on Amazon. Glad you liked it too! Isn't it great when people agree on book recommendations? It makes them so much more valid and easier to trust ;)